Parentage
by jekkah
Summary: A simply high school science experiment brings out huge secrets regarding Jack's parentage. What secrets did Haley take to the grave and who else holds the key to unlocking them? And just what will this mean for Hotch and Jack?
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: Well, when I finished my last epic, I hadn't intended on starting the new one quite so soon, but the muse had other ideas. Hope you enjoy this latest offering!_

**Chapter One**

"Do you have your pajamas, Bubs?" JJ asked, looking through the suitcase that her six-year-old son had packed for his weekend with his dad and his dad's girlfriend, Cameron.

"I don't need them, Mama," Henry protested, searching through the toy box in the living room for his Batman action figure. "Daddy keeps pajamas at his house."

JJ nodded, absently. Despite the separation and subsequent divorce over the last eleven months, it still hadn't sunk in to her that Henry had a life completely independent of her with Will. A life that included a bedroom that JJ had never seen, his father's new girlfriend, who she had met briefly only a handful of times, and apparently, pajamas. As much as they pained her, it was still better than the bitterness that had settled in their marriage after her kidnapping due to her work with the State Department. She had promised that there would be no more secrets between the two of them, but it was a promise that she couldn't keep.

"Mama, I can't find Batman!" Henry whined.

"Did you check your backpack?" JJ questioned, her eyes twinkling.

Henry sighed, dramatically, before running off to check his backpack. He returned with it, triumphantly. "You always know where all the toys are. You're the best mama in the whole world."

She kissed the top of his head. "And don't you forget it." She smiled at him when the doorbell rang. "Looks like your dad's here."

"Daddy!" Henry squealed, throwing the door open. He leapt into Will's waiting arms.

"How are you, JJ?" Will asked in his New Orleans drawl.

She shrugged. "I can't really complain. And you? How's Cameron?"

Will blushed at the mention of his girlfriend's name. "Good, real good. And, no, she has not moved in yet."

Cameron's residency status was an on-going conversation between the two. JJ knew Will well enough to know that he was chomping at the bit to move in with Cameron, but was waiting for Cameron to decide when they should. JJ insisted on being informed as soon as they made the decision so that she and Will could come up with a game plan on how to tell Henry.

"You ready to go, buddy?" Will asked his son, who was hopping from one foot to the next. Henry nodded, enthusiastically. After a brief tug of war with his mother, Henry put on his winter coat instead of the spring jacket he had in his hand. March was still too early for jacket, even if it was decked out in Spiderman.

"Have lots of fun, Bubs," JJ told him, giving him a hug and kiss. "Be good for Daddy."

Henry nodded. "I will."

Will gave him an indulgent grin. "He always is. We'll be back after dinner on Sunday. See you then."

"Bye," JJ replied. She sighed as she closed the door before heading towards her office. She planned to spend the weekend working as she usually did. She was able to work out a deal with the BAU where she worked mostly out of the office at Quantico instead of out in the field, unless a case called for it. This freed up the rest of the time to work the more high profile cases as she handled more of the consulting ones and allowed her to retain primary custody of Henry. She also worked it out so that she was home every day by four for Henry in exchange for working extra hours over the weekend. As Will had Henry every weekend, that was no great hardship.

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"Jack, come eat your pizza," Hotch ordered, gently.

"But, Dad, I want to show you my paper," Jack protested from the front door. He was furiously searching through his backpack.

Hotch bit back a sigh. It had been a long week. The team had only just returned from Baton Rouge that morning and he was immediately pulled into meetings to justify kicking the police chief off of the case. It seemed the chief had connections somewhere and despite testimony from both police officers under him and the city director over him agreeing with decision, answers were demanded. As thrilled as Hotch had been to see Jack, he was rapidly losing all energy and began to long for bedtime.

"We can look for it later," Hotch promised. He did sigh when Jack didn't stop his search. "Did you check the front pocket?"

"Yeah, it's not there," Jack replied.

Hotch drummed his fingers on the table. "What about in your suitcase? Is it possible that it got mixed up in there?"

Jack shook his head. "Aunt Jessica packed my suitcase and she didn't have my paper."

"Could it have fallen out in the car? Or left at Aunt Jessica's?"

"No," Jack drew out. He lit up suddenly. "I remember! I put it in my coat pocket so I wouldn't forget it." He ran to his coat and pulled out a piece of white paper. "Hey, Dad? How come you never know where I put anything like Aunt Jessica always knows?"

Hotch took a sip of his water, ignoring the tug on his heart. "I guess it's a mom thing."

Jack giggled as he settled back in his chair. "You're so funny, Dad."

"Yeah? Remember to tell your uncle Dave that," he mumbled. Hotch watched as Jack took a few bites of pizza. "So, what's so important about this piece of paper?"

"It's the results of my scientific experiment," Jack announced proudly.

Hotch fought to keep the smirk from his face. "What scientific experiment?"

Jack breathed out, slowly. "Okay, it's not really my experiment, but I helped Sam with his." Sam was Jessica's oldest best friend. "He has to do one for school. So did Mikey, but he did his with fruit."

"What did Sam do his on?" Hotch asked, patiently.

"Blood," Jack glanced around, unsure, "types. Blood types. Yeah. He stabbed my finger to get the blood." Jack held up his finger to show Hotch the band-aid.

Hotch frowned. "Did Aunt Jessica know about this?"

Grimacing, Jack shook his head. "Aunt Jessica wasn't home when we did it. We're not in trouble, are we, Dad?"

"No," Hotch told him, "but next time get Aunt Jessica's permission before you do any experiments, okay?"

"Okay," he agreed. His face screwed up as he tried to remember everything that had been done in the experiment. "Sam put my blood on some paper and then he did something else and then he told me my blood type."

Hotch grinned. "And what is your blood type?"

Jack thrust the paper at his dad. "It's 'A', see?"

"I see," Hotch replied as his insides turned cold. The paper contained a photo copy of the blood test kit. If it was accurate as Jack maintained, his blood type was indeed 'A'. The only problem was that Haley's blood type had been 'O' as was his own. If Jack was an 'A', then he couldn't possibly be their son.


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's Note: Wow! I am overwhelmed by the responses that I've gotten for this story so far. Thank you so much! Special thanks to **JJmyst, Andi, TVHollywoodDiva, Kimd33, Flames101, Lenika08, Cannybairn, SuzySorrowLess, IniTiniNini, happysunshine01, **and** pandorabox82** for the reviews! Keep 'em coming!_

**Chapter Two**

"Hey, Hotch," JJ said, walking into his office early Monday morning. "I need you to sign off on these."

"Didn't you do anything, but work this weekend?" Hotch asked, glancing at the stack of files that she put on his desk.

JJ let out a mock indignant snort. "Of course, I did. I did laundry and cleaned up my fridge." She flashed him a grin. "Next weekend, I'm cleaning out the closets for Spring."

Hotch sighed. "You really should be…"

"Getting out there?" she suggested when his voice trailed off. She was unable to stop herself from rolling her eyes. "You're one to talk."

"I, as Rossi informs me daily, am a grumpy old man whereas you," he waved his hand up and down her, "are a beautiful, young woman and should be out there."

JJ blushed all the way to her roots at the idea that Hotch thought she was beautiful. "Yeah, well, I feel like a grumpy, old person. Besides, you're not exactly being put out to pasture quite yet." She was thrilled when he looked up and smiled at her, but noticed that his eyes quickly took on a saddened expression. "Hotch... is everything okay?"

He shrugged. "Everything's fine."

"You know that if you ever need to talk..."

"I know," he assured her. He attempted to give her a reassuring grin. "I'm just distracted thinking about what I have to do today. Jack has a doctor's appointment that I can't miss."

JJ paled slightly at this. "Is everything okay with Jack?"

He nodded, looking back down at the case in front of him. "Yeah, it's just routine, but I'm trying hard not to miss any of them."

"You're a good dad, Hotch," she said, softly.

"Thanks," he replied, but she had already turned and left his office.

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"Mr. Hotchner? The doctor will see you now. Just you," she emphasized when Hotch motioned for Jack to join him. "I'll keep an eye on Jack for you."

Hotch's curiosity was piqued. Dr. Roman had been Jack's pediatrician since Jack was just six months old, but in all of that time, Hotch could not recall an instance where he was sent to the doctor without Jack. After making sure that Jack was fine with the plan, Hotch followed the nurse into the doctor's office.

"Mr. Hotchner," Dr. Roman said, shaking Hotch's hand, "it's good to see you again."

"Dr. Roman," Hotch acknowledged. He sat down when the doctor gestured to him. "This is a bit unusual. Is everything okay?"

The older gentleman ran his hand through his white hair before leaning forward on his desk. "I was actually going to ask that myself. Jack just had his yearly visit a couple of months ago and you indicated that he isn't feeling sick. What brought you in today?"

Hotch sighed. "It's probably nothing."

"But?"

"But Jack's cousin's friend was doing a science experiment for school about blood types and used Jack as a sample." Hotch took a deep breath before continuing. "According to the test that he did, and granted this is a fourteen-year-old boy, that Jack's blood type is A. The problem is that I know for a fact that both Haley and I have, er, had blood type O."

Dr. Roman nodded, slowly, taking everything in. "And you're absolutely certain that Jack's mom had blood type O?"

Hotch shifted uncomfortably. "Yes."

"I have Jack's blood type in his file. I can look it up in a few keystrokes, but I want you to make sure that you really want to do this. Once you learn it, you can't unlearn it," Dr. Roman cautioned.

"I-" Hotch hesitated, thinking over the doctor's words. He debated the pros and cons of learning that Jack wasn't his son. He was certain that he wouldn't feel any different towards Jack, but a small voice nagged at him to let it go. Still, he knew it would wear at him until he knew the truth. "I have to know. What if Jack gets sick? Shouldn't we have as much information as we get in that case?"

Dr. Roman tilted his head in agreement. He studied Hotch for a few moments before turning to his computer. "Well, it appears that the test was correct. Jack's blood type is A."

Hotch felt his heart sink into his stomach. For the last few days, he had been holding onto the smallest hope that the test, given by a high schooler, had been wrong. His entire world was turned upside down and he felt as though he couldn't breathe. His face drained of all color and a cold sweat broke out across his forehead.

"Mr. Hotchner. Mr. Hotchner! Aaron!"

Hotch looked up at the sound of his first name to see Dr. Roman peering at him with concerned eyes. "Uh, sorry."

Dr. Roman gave a small shake of his head. "I understand that this has been a big shock."

"Yeah, you could say that." Hotch was unable to keep the sarcasm from his voice.

"I think we should run a paternity test. I understand that you say that Haley's blood type was O, but just in case you should happen to be wrong, we should check it out. If Haley's blood type was an A, then it's still possible that you could be Jack's biological father," Dr. Roman explained.

Rubbing his forehead in an attempt to stave off the on-coming headache, Hotch frowned. "What's involved in that?"

Dr. Roman relaxed slightly now that some of the color was returning to Hotch's face. "We just need to take a swab from your cheek and a swab from Jack's. We should get the results back in five to seven days."

"Okay," Hotch murmured. His stomach rolled and he was suddenly grateful that he had skipped lunch that day. He looked back at the doctor with conviction in his eyes. "I have to know. I have to know for certain whether Jack is mine biologically."

"I understand. Let's get Jack into one of the exam rooms and get this done." Dr. Roman stood. He placed his hand on Hotch's shoulder. "Everything is going to be fine. Just remember that no matter what the results, Jack is still your son."

A wave of fierce protection washed over him. "Yes, he is. Nothing is going to take him away from me."


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note: Once again, I am completely overwhelmed by the response that I have received for this story! I can't believe that it's gotten so much notice. Thank you! I should probably warn you that updates will not be as fast as they have been in these first few chapters. _

_Special thanks to **Guest, Kimd33, Lenika08, Flames101, BAUMember, pandorabox82, jenny crum, IniTiniNini, Daisyangel, Jean-Moddalle, Jjmyst, angry penguin, Cannybairn, ramona, SuzySorrowLess, red2013, **and** EagleHawk** for the reviews!_

**Chapter Three**

Hotch took the rest of the week off from work. He couldn't remember what excuse he had used, just that they shouldn't expect him before Monday and possibly longer, if necessary. Tuesday, he had sent Jack off to school before pulling out all of Jack's photo albums. He poured over every picture trying to determine if there was a resemblance between himself and Jack or Jack and anyone of his or Haley's acquaintance. Hotch had always thought that Jack got his eyes from Hotch's grandmother, but maybe he was wrong. Maybe they belonged to her friend, Nathan, from college that had moved to the area not long before Haley had conceived Jack.

They had had a hard time conceiving Jack. After nearly four years of trying, they had come up empty. Haley had insisted that they see a fertility specialist, but the specialist told them that it was an issue with Haley's ability to conceive without help and that their best bet was to try in vitro fertilization. At least, that's what Haley told him; he had missed the appointment for a case. Hotch had gone as far as providing sperm in anticipation of attempting the in vitro procedure, only to find that Haley was pregnant with Jack. Now, he wondered if it was all a lie, if he had had the problem and Haley had found another solution for the child that they both wanted so bad.

Would it make a difference if Haley cheated to give them a baby rather than cheated for her own selfish reasons?

By Wednesday mid-morning, he had had enough. If he couldn't get answers from his dead wife, then he would have to go to the next best source, her sister. Haley and Jessica had always been close. If Haley would have confided in anyway, she would have confided in Jessica. Hotch sped over there and pounded on the front door.

"Aaron?" Jessica said, opening the door. Her eyes widened when she saw the fury on his face. "Is everything okay? Is Jack okay?"

"You tell me," he demanded, storming past her into the living room.

Jessica wrung her hands, nervously. "I'm not sure what you mean."

Hotch's dark eyes went cold. "I hear that Sam was doing a little science experiment."

"What?" she asked, confused.

"He was doing an experiment on blood types." Hotch watched as Jessica paled, her eyes skirting briefly to a picture of Haley and Jack on her mantel. "It seems that Jack was on of his subjects."

Swallowing, Jessica took a step forward. "I'm sorry, Aaron. I didn't know. I'll make sure that the boys know that Jack isn't allowed to-"

"This is about Jack doing the experiment!" Hotch roared. "It's about the results of the experiment! How long have you known that Jack isn't my son?"

"I don't understand," Jessica replied, shaking her head. "Jack is your son."

Hotch stepped forward, towering over his former sister-in-law. "Don't lie to me. Jack's blood type is A. Mine's O. Did she tell you before she got knocked up that she was cheating or did she wait until she was already pregnant? Or did the two of you cook up this plan to pass Jack off as mine?"

Jessica's entire body shook. "Jack is your son, Aaron. I swear! I have no idea where this is coming from. He looks just like you!"

"Stop lying to me!" Hotch demanded. "There is no way that he can be my son! Not biologically!"

"He is!" she insisted.

Hotch clenched his fists, drawing on all his willpower to not smash something. "I am giving you until tomorrow to tell me the truth or I'll find other arrangements for Jack's care while I'm out of town."

Jessica gasped. "You can't! He's- I love him. He's my last link to my sister. You can't take him away from me!"

"Legally, he's my son. Mine. If you don't tell me the truth, I don't feel as though I can trust you. I'm not going to leave my son with someone that I can't trust." The frostiness in Hotch's voice turned Jessica's blood to ice. He walked towards the door. "I'll be back at noon for your answer."

Tears streamed down Jessica's face as Hotch slammed the door on his way out. She fumbled around in her purse for her cell phone. "Hi, it's me. We really need to talk. It's Aaron. He's poking around into Jack's birth."

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Hotch stood on Jessica's doorstep at exactly noon the next day. White hot anger continued to course through his body and he knew that he would need all of his stoicism to get through this conversation. That, of course, assumed that Jessica would actually have this conversation and not stall again.

Taking a deep breath, Hotch knocked on the door. It was clear that Jessica had been crying when she opened the door. "Jessica."

"Aaron," she replied, just as solemn. "Please, come in. Can I get you anything to drink?"

"I'm only here for the truth," he snapped.

Jessica sighed, closing her eyes briefly. "I told you the truth yesterday, Aaron. You are Jack's biological father."

Hotch threw his hands up. "That's impossible!"

"It's not," she countered, softly. "My sister did cheat on you, but it was after Jack was born, when you were having all those problems. But you already know about that. She never cheated on you before Jack was born."

"Jack's blood type-"

"Eliminates one of you as his parent!" Jessica exploded, her face blotchy. "It doesn't eliminate you!"

Hotch rounded on her. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Leave her alone, Hotch," JJ demanded, stepping into the living room from the kitchen. Her strong tone did little to hide the fear in her eyes, but she refused to back down from his stare.

"JJ?" Hotch froze, befuddled. "What are you doing here?"

JJ stepped forward. She grabbed Jessica's hand and gave it a quick squeeze before positioning herself in between Hotch and Jessica as if to shield Jessica. "Jess called me after you left yesterday."

Hotch's eyes darted between the two women. "Someone needs to tell me what's going on here. Now!"

"Jack is your biological son," JJ confirmed, "but Haley is not is biological mother. I am."

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_A/N2: Well, there you go, that's the big reveal. Hope it shocked a few of you! You may notice that I've kept the medical stuff kind of vague and that's intentional. I'm not a medical expert and I'd rather keep it vague than completely wrong. Until next time..._


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's Note: Well, it appears that I caught most of you by surprise. Yay! Sorry for the delay in this chapter compared to the others. I went out of town and came home with a nasty cold. Special thanks to **went, happysunshine01, Kimd33, Jjmyst, angry penguin, CeeCee333, MLN, jenny crum, mummacass, LinNicole, pandorabox82, Andi, Casie01, Lenika08, BAUMember, SuzySorrowLess, IniTiniNini, jaceyb1, Cannybairn, EllaM, red2013, browneyes99, Flames101, 1sunfun, Westie80, Serencie, **and** Lovejjnhotch** (thank you for the high complete!) for the reviews. I am, once again, blown away by the responses to this story!_

_Warning, I'm going to be a bit liberal with JJ's employment in the BAU here, but since we don't know concretely when she joined, I hope you'll forgive me._

**Chapter Four**

Hotch staggered backwards as if he had been hit. "You? But... you... I... We... never..."

"We never had sex, no," JJ finished for him. "It doesn't change the fact that you are Jack's biological father and I am his biological mother."

"How?" he whispered. "I was there when she was pregnant. I was there when Jack was born."

JJ exchanged an apprehensive glance with Jessica. "You should probably sit down."

Hotch glared at her, deciding whether it was worth fighting her on. After she refused to back down, Hotch sat down on the chair. "How?"

"The important thing to remember, Aaron, is that Haley was desperate to have your baby," Jessica cautioned, sitting on the edge of the couch. "My mother drilled it into our heads from the time that we were small that we needed to be a good wife and part of being a good wife was giving your husband children."

"I knew your mother for over half my life, Jessica. I know how she was," Hotch sneered.

Jessica huffed. "You have no idea what she was really like behind closed doors. She had Haley completely convinced that she had to be the one to give you a baby, that if she couldn't do it than she wasn't worth anything as a wife, that you would start looking... elsewhere."

Rolling his eyes, Hotch countered, "She should have known me better than that."

"Yeah, but communication wasn't exactly either of your strong points."

"I still don't understand," Hotch continued, anger flashing dangerously in his eyes, "how JJ factors into all of this."

Jessica pursed her lips. "That's because I'm not explaining any of this very well." She smiled briefly when JJ reached out and squeezed her arm. "Haley told you that her fertility issues centered around her difficulty conceiving. That wasn't true. She conceived at least twice that we know of and miscarried both times."

Hotch's eyes widened. "Why didn't she tell me?"

"She... didn't want to disappoint you," Jessica replied with a shrug. It was clear that she didn't agree with Haley's decision. "The problem was with her eggs. They were... I don't know the technical term, but they were unusable. She could never be a biological mother."

"Why didn't she just tell me that?" he questioned again. His mind spun in several directions: fury, impatience, confusion, fear, and self-doubt. The last rattled around at the edges, trying to determine if there was a flaw in his own personality that caused Haley to hide this from him. Was he no better than his own father who was so monstrous that Hotch and his mother learned to keep all unpleasantness from him.

Jessica rubbed her forehead, pulling Hotch's attention back to her. "I don't know. Nothing I said to her seemed to get through to her. She was determined that she would have your baby, that you would never know that she couldn't have one of her own." Here, tears welled up in Jessica's eyes. "So, she came up with a plan to have a baby and not tell you that she wasn't the mother. It wasn't really hard with all the traveling that you do. She just had you sign whatever papers she needed you to sign. You never even looked at them."

Hotch blinked once, slowly. "Are you actually trying to put the blame for this on me?"

"No!" she answered, quickly. "I'm just trying to make you understand."

"How do you factor into this?" Hotch turned his blazing eyes to JJ, finding himself unable to deal with Jessica and her blind faith to Haley anymore.

Clasping her hands together so tightly that her knuckles turned white, JJ cleared her throat, skirting her own eyes away from Hotch's face. "I hadn't been working at the BAU for very long, a couple of months, maybe. I still wasn't going out on all of the cases with you guys." She closed her eyes to block the tears that she could feel coming. "I was working late one night while you guys were on a case, Colorado. I was getting ready to leave and I noticed that the light was on in your office. When I stepped inside to make sure everything was okay, I found Haley there." JJ glanced up at him, briefly, before looking away again. "She was on the floor sobbing."

Hotch massaged his temples. "How- how did she even get in there?"

"She-" JJ shot him a startled look at his absurd question, but it was clear by his tense posture that he was simply trying to piece together everything that was being told to him. "She had to pick up papers or something from your office and you had called ahead to let her in." She waited for him to nod before continuing. "I asked her what was wrong and the whole story came tumbling out. I, like Jessica, tried to convince her to talk to you, that you would understand and the two of you would work through this, but she adamant that she couldn't tell you."

"I still don't understand why she couldn't tell me," Hotch mumbled to himself.

JJ shook her head, slightly, unable to answer his question. "Then, she asked me; she asked me if I would consider donating my eggs to her. She thought we looked similar enough that no one would ever question who Jack's parents were. At first, I told her no. But she begged and begged and I, I finally told her that I would consider it. Hotch, I've never seen her so happy."

He gave off a brief, grim smile. "What made you change your mind?"

"You. You came back from the case and you were so tormented by the idea that you would never be a father and that it would tear you and Haley apart. It was the first time that you really... opened up to me about anything." JJ raised her hands so that they were in front of her mouth and looked directly at him. "So, I said yes. Two months later, I donated my eggs. Haley got pregnant on the first round with Jack and that was that."

"How... Why..." Hotch stood abruptly. He placed his hands defensively in front of him when Jessica and JJ both rose. "I've had enough. I will make other arrangements for Jack's care, for now. I need to leave."

"Hotch, wait," JJ pleaded, but he waved her off before storming out of Jessica's house. The tears that had been threatening to fall, cascaded down her cheeks.

Jessica rubbed JJ's arm. With more confidance than she felt, she told JJ, "It'll be okay. It's been a shock, but he'll come around."

"He has to. I can't lose my son again."


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's Note: Special thanks to **jenny crum, browneyes99, Kimd33, Cannybairn, LinNicole, Guest, IniTiniNini, mummacass, Jjmyst, angry penguin, SuzySorrowLess, Daisyangel, Amelia, Westie80, TVHollywoodDiva, Beautiful-Liar13, ****CrazyPainter, **and** Christiangirl** for the reviews. My apologies to any Haley fans. I kinda ended up making her the bad guy. It wasn't my intention when I started, but it flowed that way._

_In addition to not owning "Criminal Minds", I don't own Cheetos, either._

**Chapter Five**

"Your son?" Jessica repeated. "You mean Haley's son."

"Don't play semantics with me," JJ ordered, rounding on Jessica. "Not after the last eight years. He has always been my son and you know it. It's why she was so afraid to let me near him; why she did everything she could to undermine my relationship with Hotch, hoping to push me away."

Jessica rolled her eyes. "She let you near him. How many times did she bring him in the office? That was so you could see him in a neutral environment."

Cheeks red, JJ replied, "Twice. She brought him twice. I had to settle for pictures and stories after that from you and from Hotch. And I had to pretend that I wasn't any more interested in Jack than I would be about any colleagues son. Do you have any idea how hard that's been?"

"You knew how it was going to be," Jessica countered. "Why did you agree to it?"

"I tried to back out! I told her that I didn't think it would be a good idea, that I wasn't sure that I could know he was out there and not be involved in his life," she admitted. JJ bit her bottom lip briefly. "But she, she told me that she could destroy my career in the FBI."

Jessica looked at her sharply. "Hotch would never do that."

JJ shook her head. "No, he wouldn't. He's good man, a fair man. He wouldn't... No, she knew someone else in the bureau; someone who obviously didn't like Hotch. When I told her that I was reconsidering donating my eggs, I suddenly found myself being loaned out to other departments and not for communications work. She made it very clear that it was her doing."

"I-" Jessica shut her mouth abruptly. Haley had been acting a bit strange back then. There were strange phone calls and she was sure that she had even caught someone's car driving out of Haley's driveway once. When Jessica confronted Haley about it, Haley had laughed and assured her that the only man in her life was Hotch. If Haley was having an affair with someone above Hotch at the FBI, that would certainly explain several things that happened at that time, including the canary smile she sported every time they discussed her plan to use JJ's eggs. And it wasn't as if Haley had manipulated people before. "I'm sorry, JJ. I didn't have any idea."

"I know." JJ's face softened as she forced herself to remember that Jessica was not the enemy. If anything, she had been one of her biggest supporters in this whole mess. She could have easily cut all ties with JJ after Haley's death, but she faithfully kept up with the e-mails and pictures that she always had. "Yes, Haley is Jack's mother. She carried him, gave birth to him, loved him, raised him, died for him. I'm not negating any of that. But, he carries my DNA. When I look at him, I can my sister and my mother. He and Henry have the same smile when they're really, really happy. In my heart, he has always been my son. I can't change that." She collapsed suddenly onto the floor, tears streaming down her face. "Oh, God! What if- what if he takes Jack away from me? What if he decides that all the lies and all the deceits are just too much? What if he moves Jack across the country and I never see him again? He could do that. He could and I wouldn't be able to stop him!"

Jessica wrapped her arms around JJ. "He won't. He'll be mad for awhile, maybe for a really long time, but once he calms down, he realize how much you love Jack. You'll see."

Nodding, JJ tried to pull herself together. "He's a good man. He's a good man," she repeated over and over until she calmed down. Just as quickly as she sat down, she stood up. "I have to go. I have to go hold Henry. I'll talk to you soon, Jess."

"Okay, " Jessica agreed, walking JJ to the door. She slid down it as it closed, finally releasing her own tears. "Oh, Haley. What have we done?"

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After rushing from Jessica's house, Hotch drove aimlessly for hours. His head was all over the place. He was angry at Haley, angry at Jessica, angry at JJ. He was disgusted with himself for having missed that any of this was going on back when they were trying to get pregnant. His mind was still unable to wrap around the fact that Haley felt she couldn't tell him any of this. Had he become so tyrannical that she didn't think he would understand?

Or JJ. Why hadn't JJ told him the truth? He thought they were friends, good friends. He turned to her more than anyone on the team save Rossi and he knew Rossi for years. He thought it was the same for her. Was their friendship one big lie? Was she only staying close to him so that she could get to Jack? His heart sunk at the thought. But would she have really told him all those things about her sister, her family, Will, if she was only using him?

And Jack. What did this mean for Jack? He deserved to know the truth about his origins, didn't he? At least, at some point in the future if only for medical reasons? On the other hand, Jack could be told now and he would have the opportunity to once again feel a mother's love. That's assuming, of course, that JJ would want to fill that role. Jack had been talking a lot lately about the difference between moms and dads and what moms could do that dads seemed to not be able to. Initially, Hotch had thought it was a reaction to his break-up with Beth, but Jack no longer talked about her, even as the mom questions continued.

It was nearly three-thirty when Hotch finally forced his brain to stop thinking. He was surprised to find that he had driven to Jack's school just in time for the kids to get out. Jumping out of the car, he intercepted Jack as he headed towards his normal pick up spot.

"Dad! What are you doing here?" Jack exclaimed. Unconcerned with the kids around him, Jack threw his arms around his father.

"Hey, buddy." Hotch held him extra tight. "I've decided to take a few days off of work so that we could hang out, just you and me."

Jack beamed. "Cool! Can we rent a movie tonight? And get pizza?"

Hotch searched his son for signs of JJ in Jack's features. She was everywhere; in his eyes, in his smile, in his nose. He was astounded that he hadn't seen it before. Hotch shook his head rapidly when he realized that Jack had been calling him. "What's that?"

"I was wondering if we could get some Cheetos, too?"

"Yeah." Hotch choked on the word. "Yeah, come on. Let's go to the store."

Jack placed his hand on Hotch's arm. "Dad, is everything okay?"

Nodding, Hotch plastered a smile on his face. "Of course. Everything's fine. We're going to have a great couple of days."


	6. Chapter 6

_Author's Note: Special thanks to **Kimd33, Christiangirl, IniTiniNini, Daisyangel, Jjmyst, BAUMember, TVHollywoodDiva, mummacass, EagleHawk, LinNicole, Guest, jenny crum, angry penguin, Flames101, Guest, Guest, **and** pandorabox82** for the reviews. _

_I've gotten some feedback about updating and the only thing I can say is that I update when I can. Sometimes, life and muses get in the way. I understand that it's frustrating waiting for the next chapter when you like a story, but that's the risk that you take when you read a non-completed story. My only advice is to wait until this story is done to be able to read all of it without waiting. Thanks._

**Chapter Six**

Hotch sighed as he laid on the couch, watching the television. For the past week, his routine had been the same: he got up, got Jack off to school, and laid down on the couch, flipping mindlessly through the channels. He only moved when it was time to pick Jack up from school. They would spend a few hours doing whatever activity Jack came up with that day until dinner. After dinner came homework, bath time, and bedtime. Hotch would drag himself into the shower before flopping down in bed, where he was lucky to get a couple hours of sleep.

He was doing absolutely everything he could to not think about the situation before him, which, of course, meant that he could focus on nothing but it. He felt betrayed, by Haley, by Jessica, and by JJ. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that it was the betrayal from JJ that hurt most of all. Somewhere along the way, Hotch had come to expect this sort of manipulation from Haley, her antics with Jack during their divorce had been proof enough of that, and Jessica was always a slave to Haley's whims, but JJ, he had placed on a bit of a pedestal. If someone had asked him even ten days ago who the most honorable, the person with the most integrity, simply the best person in his life was, he would have said JJ.

In so many ways, she was his touchstone; the one person to always provide him a gentle reminder as to which path he needed to be on. When he needed blunt truth, he turned to Rossi, but when he needed a softer push, he turned to JJ. This was especially true when he doubted himself as a parent. After all, no one else on the team understood what it meant to be a parent while working in the BAU but her. He found that she often had the same fears and doubts that he had.

And now it was all gone, burned up with a simple high school science experiment. Hotch never felt as alone as he did right now. He didn't want to talk to Rossi about any of this, at least, not yet. Rossi was too close to JJ and to Jack. He considered briefly talking to his brother, but their relationship had never been particularly strong and since Hotch hadn't decided what to do about the situation, he didn't want to bring more family into it.

"Damn you, Haley," Hotch growled. "Was this your final revenge on me? Are you getting some perverse pleasure wherever you are watching my life fall apart?" He scrunched his face. "Damn you, too, JJ. How could you keep this from me? And-"

Hotch's tirade was stopped by a fierce pounding on his front door. Unwilling to face anyone, he lay very still hoping they would go away. Anger rushed through him when his door opened and David Rossi marched inside.

"What the hell are you doing here, Rossi?" Hotch hissed.

"I think a better question is 'what the hell are you doing here'?" Rossi countered with a smirk as he took in Hotch's sunken appearance.

Hotch rolled his eyes. "I'm on vacation. Aren't you the one that's been after me for years to take one?"

Rossi's smirk turned to a frown. "This isn't a vacation. This is... Well, I'm not exactly sure what this is, but it's not vacation. What is going on with you?"

"Nothing."

"Bullshit." Rossi's voice remained calm, but a fire came into his eyes. "Do you know that there's a rumor going around about you and JJ?" Hotch's eyes widened and Rossi knew he was on the right path. "I didn't believe it at first, but seeing you here and seeing the zombie-like state that she's been wandering around in this past week, I'm really starting to wonder."

Hotch sat up, abruptly. "What's the rumor, Dave?"

Rossi shrugged, hoping to get a rise out of the sad man in front of him. "Does it matter?"

"Tell me the rumor!" Hotch ordered, standing.

"Okay, okay." Rossi raised his hands in front of him. "They're saying that you and JJ were caught having sex in your office and you've been placed on suspension. They're saying that you have to decide between your job and JJ and that's why she's walking around like someone died."

Hotch rubbed his mouth. "She's really walking around like that?"

Rossi's jaw dropped. "Are you telling me that the rumors are true?"

"What? No!"

"But it does have something to do with JJ," Rossi countered. "Don't try to deny it. Even if I wasn't a student in Aaron Hotchner character study, your reaction just now would have made it evident. What's going on with the two of you?"

Turning away from him to gather his thoughts, Hotch tightened his jaw. His dark eyes were cold when they landed back on Rossi's face. "I discovered a secret that JJ's been keeping from me for years. It's big."

Rossi slapped his chest with his hand. "You're Henry's father?"

"No!" Hotch shouted, frustrated. He pushed off the memory of when they discovered that JJ was pregnant and the disappointment that washed over him as he heard the news. Hotch shook his head. "We've never slept together. We've never slept together, but we do have a child together. JJ is Jack's biological mother."

"I need to sit down." Rossi fell into the couch. He listened attentive as Hotch relayed the information that he had learned from JJ and Jessica, not interrupting once. When Hotch finished, they both elapsed into silence. "I'm going to need a drink." Rossi crossed the room to pour himself a glass of scotch, which he scarfed down immediately. "What are you going to do now?"

"I... honestly don't know," Hotch admitted. He remained in his seat while Rossi paced the living room.

Rossi stopped by the window, staring out. "What are you going to do?"

Hotch sighed. "I wish I knew."

"You could give Jack a mother again? He would still have Haley, but he could have JJ, too," Rossi suggested.

"You're assuming that she would want to take over that role," Hotch told him.

Rossi scoffed. "It's JJ. Of course, she would."

Hotch shrugged, but nodded in agreement. "But can I trust her? She kept this from me for his entire life. Can I trust her with my son now? And what about Jack? This would turn everything he thinks he knows about his origins and flip them on their head. Is that fair to him?"

"He deserves to know the truth," Rossi replied, quietly.

"Someday. He definitely deserves to know the truth someday, but I'm not sure that he should know it know while he's so young," Hotch offered.

Rossi shook his head. "I wish I could tell you what to do. I wish I had some direction for you."

Hotch looked away. "I know."

"Talk to JJ, Aaron," Rossi told him, firmly. "The two of you need to figure out your next steps, both in regards to Jack and to the BAU. If you don't think that you can work with her any longer, I'll stand behind you."

"Thanks, Dave." Hotch settled back into his seat. "Would you like to stay for dinner? I'm sure Jack would love to see his uncle Dave."

Rossi retook his seat on the couch. "There's no place that I'd rather be."


	7. Chapter 7

_Author's Note: Special thanks to **Kimd33, Christiangirl, SuzySorrowLess, Lenika08, browneyes99, BAUMember, LinNicole, JJmyst, angry penguin, seacat03, jenny crum, IniTiniNini, 1sunfun, Cannybairn, Lalina92, pandorabox82, Flames101, Daisyangel, **and** TVHollywoodDiva** for the reviews! And welcome to all the new followers!_

**Chapter Seven**

JJ shifted her seat, her eyes firmly on the case file in front of her. She could feel Morgan and Reid's, and occasionally Blake's, eyes on her. She wanted to shot at all of them to leave her alone, but she knew that would cause more angst than help and so she remained quiet, pretending she noticed nothing astray.

"Do you need something, Garcia?" JJ asked. With obvious effort, she lifted her head to face Garcia.

"I was going to ask you the same thing, baby cakes," Garcia replied, cautiously. She kept her voice low so that the other team members didn't hear her words.

JJ shook her head, slowly. "I don't need anything."

Leaning down over the desk, Garcia protested. "I think we both know that isn't true. You've been walking around like your best friend died. And since I know that I'm still right here, that can't be it. Is it something with Will and Henry?" Garcia sighed when JJ remained quiet. "Please talk to me."

"I can't," JJ whispered, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Come on," Garcia demanded. She grabbed JJ's arm and pulled her from her seat. Garcia led her away from the prying eyes of the others and into her office. She nearly pushed JJ into a chair. "What is going on with you?"

Tears streamed down JJ's face as she shook her head. "I can't."

Garcia hugged her. "Oh, JJ. You have to. You have to tell someone what's going on. Look at you; you're a mess!"

"I can't. I can't," JJ sobbed repeatedly into Garcia's shoulder.

"Is it Hotch?" she pushed. "Did something happen with him?"

JJ took a shuddering breath and pulled away. "I'm such an idiot. I can't believe that I let her manipulate me. Even now, after all this time, she's controlling things. How did I let this happen?"

Garcia stroked JJ's hair. "Let what happen? And who is she?"

"I can't tell you." JJ shot her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry. I wish I could. You have no idea how much I wish I could tell you. But I can't." She sat up straighter and seemed to pull herself together. "I'm sorry, Penelope. I shouldn't have come crying to you like this. I know I've been messing up lately and it's not fair to you or the rest of the team. I'll- I'll do better, I promise."

"Jayje-" Garcia protested, but JJ jumped out of the seat and hurried from the room, leaving a stunned and confused Garcia behind.

JJ walked with her head down, furiously swiping at her eyes to remove all evidence of tears. So unware of her surroundings she was that she walked directly into someone's chest. "Oof!" JJ glanced up to find that she had run into Rossi, the one person in the building that she most wanted to avoid. Her cheeks burned with mortification. "Uh, sorry, Rossi. I wasn't watching where I was going."

Rossi tilted his head in acknowledgment. "That much I gathered."

"I-" She froze, wondering if she had picked up a hint of coldness in his voice. "I need to go. I'm really behind on work."

"I've noticed." His voice was calm, even. "JJ, we need to talk about your performance this week."

Briefly, JJ closed her eyes. "I know. I'm sorry. I've... been distracted lately."

Rossi smirked. "Clearly." He sighed. "Look, I know that Hotch isn't here this week, but that doesn't mean you can slack off. You really have to get your act together, JJ."

"I know," she repeated, meekly. She dipped her head, unable to hold is gaze any longer.

"Okay," Rossi agreed. "Maybe you should take the rest of the day off. You could spend the time with your son. I'm sure he'd be glad to see you."

JJ looked up, sharply. Rossi stared at her, expressionless except for his hard eyes. "I think I should go." She rushed away from him, towards her desk, willing the tears threatening to wait until she reached her car. She was certain that Hotch had told Rossi the truth and that he condemned her for it.

She feared that the others would do the same.

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JJ sighed as she lay on the couch later that night, watching something on the television that she wasn't following. Her time away from the BAU hadn't improved her mood, even with the extra time with Henry. Instead, she became even more withdrawn. Dark scenarios ran through her head where Hotch moved Jack across the country, cutting off all contact, and the rest of the team turned their backs on her. Even Henry had grown quiet by dinnertime, taking his bath and heading off to bed without a word of protest.

JJ absently wiped away a stray tear that fell as she thought of her sweet, baby boy. He asked her several times over the last few days why she was so sad, but she had no answer to give him. She knew that for his sake alone, she needed to pull herself out of this melancholic mood, but she simply didn't know how.

Just as she was deciding to head to bed for the night, a knock on the door startled her. She opened it to find her ex-husband standing on the other side, a fake smile on his face. "Will, what are you doing here?"

Will took a deep breath as he stepped inside. "Now, don't get mad." He paused as JJ sighed. "Henry called me. He mentioned that you've been sad lately and asked if I could do something about it."

JJ sat back down on the couch and put her head in her hands. "I can't believe he called you. I really am failing at life right now."

"JJ," Will said, patiently, sitting on the coffee table. He pulled at her arms until she looked up at him, "what's going on?"

"I kept something from someone and now, it's blown up in my face," JJ admitted, fidgeting her hands and anything else she could reach.

Will tried, unsuccessfully, to hide his smirk. "From Hotch?"

JJ's eyes widened. "What? How?"

"JJ, the last time you were this antsy is when you kept your pregnancy from Hotch." Will paused. "You're not pregnant with Hotch's baby, are you?"

"That's not even funny," she told him.

Will shrugged. "I just always figured that if you were to have another baby with anyone, it would be with your boss."

JJ rubbed her face with her hands. She was growing increasingly distraught by how close his comments were hitting home. "I'm not pregnant."

"Then, what's going on?"

"I can't tell you," JJ said, frankly. "It's not my place to say anything, even if I am at the center of it all. I'm sorry."

Will took JJ's hands into his own. "Don't be sorry, Jayje. I just hate to see you like this. You'll let me know if there's anything I can do to help, won't you? We may not be together still, but I like to think that we're still friends."

JJ gave him a small smile. "We are, but really, there's nothing you can do." She rose, causing Will to do the same. "I will try to get myself out of this mood so that it doesn't affect Henry again."

"Okay." He walked with her to the door. "If you need me to take him for a few days, I'd be glad to do it."

"I know. Thank you," she replied, sincerely. She opened the door a second time to find a surprise waiting on the other side. "Hotch!"

Hotch flicked his eyes from JJ to Will and back again. "We need to talk."

JJ swallowed hard and nodded. "Okay."

"Are you sure that you want to do this?" Will muttered to JJ as Hotch stepped towards the living room.

"I'll be fine," she assured him.

Will took one last glance back at Hotch, but could find no clues there, before giving her a quick nod. "Call me if you need anything."

"I will," JJ agreed, closing the door behind Will. JJ took a few breaths to calm herself before turning to face Hotch.

_A/N2: So, now we have Rossi on Hotch's side, JJ confiding in no one, and the first talk between JJ and Hotch since this all came out in the open._


	8. Chapter 8

_Author's Note: Special thanks to **whimiscal-one-ga, Kimd33, Jjmyst, LinNicole, jenny crum, smilemore21, Lalina92, TVHollywoodDiva, mummacass, SuzySorrowLess, Lenika08, DebbieOz, sez101, Daisyangel, Cannybairn, InITiniNini, Flames101, angry penguin, IwouldrockJoshuaJacksonsWorld, Guest, Christiangirl, pandorabox82, **and** spk** for the reviews! Also, I apologize for the wait on this chapter, but not on the ending. Muahahahaha!_

**Chapter Eight**

"Is Henry here?" Hotch asked, briskly, before JJ had the opportunity to speak.

"Yes," she replied in a quiet voice. "He's asleep."

Hotch nodded. He studied his hands, trying to figure out a way to begin the conversation. "I understand that Rossi talked to you today."

JJ huffed and looked away. "Yes, he did. I have been sufficiently warned away. I know where the team's loyalties will lie."

"He's going to apologize for that tomorrow," Hotch assured her. "It wasn't his place to say anything and he does not speak for me. He's the only one on the team that I've told."

"I haven't told anyone," she admitted, softly. She sighed when he shot her a questioning look. "It's not my place to say anything, Hotch. I've never talked to anyone about this besides Haley and Jessica."

A flash of concerned flitted across his face before he schooled his features. "You haven't talked to anyone? Not Garcia? Or Prentiss? Your mom doesn't know?"

Anger rose in JJ's chest like a striking snake. "No! Nobody knows. I have never told a single soul about what I did. It has been my cross to bare for ten years."

"Would you have ever told me?" Hotch questioned, again softening for just a moment.

"I don't know," she admitted, truthfully. JJ turned from him. "I wanted to; so many time I wanted to. There just never seemed to be the right time." She glanced at him. "It would be easy to blame Haley, make her the bad guy, but at the end of the day, I made the choice that I made and there's no one to blame but myself."

Hotch took half a step towards her. "What did Haley do?"

Shrugging, JJ countered, "What does it matter? It's over; she's gone."

"It matters to me," he said, firmly. "I want to understand everything."

"I... tried to back out of the plan before I donated my eggs," JJ confessed. "I... was having a hard time with the idea that I would have this child out there that would never know who I was. And I didn't like lying to you. I'm sure you don't believe that now, but it's true."

Hotch refused to think that over. "How did she get you to agree then?"

JJ looked down. "Blackmail. She threatened my career in the FBI; said she knew someone who could make it happen. After I was loaned out to other departments without your okay, I knew she could do it."

"Do you-" Hotch cleared his throat. "Do you have any idea who it was?"

"I have my suspicions, but nothing concrete." She rubbed her face. "The point is that I could have said something and I didn't. I could have transferred to another department or gone into the private sector, I have the contacts, but I didn't. It was my choice to give in and, honestly, after the first time that I saw the three of you together, I was sure I did the right thing. Of course, that didn't last long."

He shook his head slightly. "What do you mean?"

Clasping her hands together, JJ explained, "Haley and I had a deal that would allow me to see Jack after he was born in the office as the son of a co-worker, but she became paranoid that someone would figure it out so she stopped bringing him in. I was supposed to get pictures and updates on him from her, but she made Jessica do after the first couple of months. I was angry about it for a long time," she peeked at a picture of Henry on the book shelf, "but after Henry, I could understand; she thought she was protecting her son."

"She was still wrong."

"We were all wrong," JJ agreed, "except you and Jack." She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Hotch. I imagine you don't believe me, but I am sorry from the bottom of my heart. At least, that I didn't tell you the truth. I'm not sorry that I agreed to it. Jack is a wonderful little boy."

Hotch nodded. He was unable to stop the ends of his mouth from turning upward as he thought of his son. "He is. I don't... I don't know what I would do without him. I suppose that means that I should thank you for that."

JJ blushed at the sincerity in his voice. She thought she detected a hint of warmth, too, but refused to raise her hopes. "You don't have to thank me. I'd do it again. Of course, I would tell you the truth this time."

Hotch chuckled, despite the heaviness that remained in the room. "Where do we go from here?"

"I think that's up to you." She refused to raise her eyes any higher than his top button.

"I don't know what to do here, JJ." The anger, hurt, and confusion was back in his voice. "I don't know what's best for Jack, for me. I don't know what you want. You have to tell me what you want."

Chewing on the inside of her mouth, JJ pondered what to tell him. She decided that she had little left to lose by telling him her true feelings. "In a perfect world, I want to be his mother. I want to be there when he's happy, when he's said. I want to comfort him when he's hurt and cheer on his victories. I want him to know how much I love him." She raised her chin in defiance. "But the world's not perfect. "The only thing I can do is ask you to not cut me out completely. I can quit the BAU. I can stay far away from the two of you, but I am begging you to still keep me informed about his life, through e-mails, if nothing else."

Hotch folded his arms. "You want to be his mother?"

"He has always been my son," she stated.

"You're a good mom, JJ," Hotch told her. "I bet you even know where all the homework is." He waved off her befuddled look. "I think Jack deserves to know the truth. I don't want to muddle his memory of Haley, though."

JJ paled, hardly allowing herself to believe what she thought he was implying. "Of course not. She is his mother. She gave birth to him; she raised him. She is his mother."

Nodding, Hotch continued. "I think he can accept you as his mother, too."

"Oh," JJ breathed out, tears welling up in her eyes.

"But I don't want to tell him the truth right away." Hotch forced himself to look her in the eyes and ignore the moisture there. "I want him to spend time with you and with Henry so that you have a relationship before we tell him. I think it'll make it easier on him." He paused. "What do you think?"

JJ forced her emotions down. "I think that's a good plan." She started to reach out to touch his arm before checking herself. "Hotch, are you sure? Once we start down this path, we can't go back."

Hotch released a long breath. "I'm not sure about anything, honestly, but this feels right for my son. For our son." He stiffened. "As long as you can assure me that there are no more secrets. We can't do this if you're still hiding things from me. Is there anything else?"

"Yeah," she whispered. "There's one more thing."


End file.
